(28 January 2026 | Source: "My City" publication)
Deputy akims of the West Kazakhstan region have been fined for delays in clearing illegal landfills. According to the Department of Ecology, most landfills have been cleared, but a number of sites remain unresolved, and the region's strategic environmental plans have not been fulfilled.
WHAT HAPPENED
In the West Kazakhstan region in 2025, 183 illegal landfills were identified: 90 — in the Bayterek district, 35 — in the Burlinsky district, 31 — in Uralsk and 27 — in the Terektinsky district.
According to the head of the Department of Ecology of the West Kazakhstan region, Murat Yermekkaliyev, 154 landfills have been cleared, which constitutes 85% of the total. This was reported at a briefing of the Central Communications Service (CCS), as reported by the publication "My City".
"For the untimely clearance of illegal landfills, on the recommendation of the environmental prosecutor, the deputy akims of the Bayterek, Burlinsky and Terektinsky districts, as well as Uralsk, were brought to administrative responsibility. The fine under Part 3 of Article 344 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan amounted to 50 MCI and was paid in a reduced manner," Yermekkaliyev explained.
REASONS FOR DELAYS AND BUDGET
The district akims attribute the delays to a lack of funding. However, the Department of Ecology reports that over 11 months of 2025, more than 5 billion tenge was received from natural resource users into the local budget.
"Despite this, the measures provided for in the Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan regarding emissions, discharges and waste management have not been implemented in the region," added Yermekkaliyev.
UNREALISED MSW LANDFILL PROJECTS
It is also reported that projects for the construction of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills in the settlements of Chapayevo, Kaztalovka and Furmanovo have not progressed for several years in the region.
"The feasibility study and design and estimate documentation have been developed, but the projects have not been implemented, although their total cost did not exceed 1 billion tenge. The project for target environmental quality indicators for the West Kazakhstan region, mandatory under the Environmental Code, has still not been developed," emphasised the head of the department.